The invention relates to an apparatus on a textile machine, for example a flat card, roller card or the like, for cleaning fibre material, for example of cotton.
There is described in WO 01/92614 (also published as EP 1 290 252 B) a carding machine comprising a high-speed first or main roller, which is so adapted that it supports or conveys a travelling fibre web, associated second and third rollers, which have respective nips with one another and with the first roller on rotation of the three rollers, and drive means for rotation of the rollers, which drive means are so arranged that the second roller is rotated in a direction of rotation that is the same as that of the first roller and opposite to that of the third roller, wherein the second roller is arranged downstream of the third roller and so co-operates with the first roller that a fibre mat is opened and detached, the fibre mat is transferred to the nip with the third roller and is conveyed by the third roller to the nip with the first roller, where it is transferred back to the first roller, the rollers having a clothing with needles or teeth which are inclined at an acute angle (front angle) in the direction of rotation, and in the region of the transition of the fibres from the first roller to the second roller the needles or teeth of the rollers in question being inclined in different directions and the speed of the second roller being low in comparison with the speed of the first roller.
In that known apparatus (EP 1 290 252 B1), the second roller (inverter) has on its cylindrical surface a wire clothing comprising needles or teeth that are inclined at an angle of less than 90° to the surface in question. As a result, the fibres are intended to be held so that they can be drawn through the nip with the first roller. The wire clothing has fine teeth, so that the fibres are able to penetrate only unsatisfactorily into the bottom of the clothing.